Camilla Kazimi

My earliest memories of math revolve around the kitchen table as a young child. My parents were mathematicians who met in grad school at UC Berkeley, and their love of math translated into the following dinner game: my dad called out numbers of people getting on and off an imaginary bus while my sisters and I tried to keep track of how many passengers remained. After what felt like endless stops, the first one to correctly guess the number of riders on the bus got first dibs on dessert. Since I was the youngest, I rarely won, but I still recall that game with a smile and think solving math problems is like a game!

My love of teaching developed in college. While I was an undergrad at Cal Poly SLO, I organized group study sessions. There is nothing like having to explain difficult concepts to ensure you really understand them. I then went on to pursue a master’s in mathematical behavioral sciences and a PhD in economics at UC Irvine. Upon graduation, I taught in the Economics Department at SDSU for five years and then at St. Mary’s College in Moraga for seventeen years. Nothing beats that ‘a-ha’ moment when you see a student grasp a concept or when they exceed their expectations on a test. I turned to 1-on-1 tutoring in search of more of those a-ha moments.

I spend my free time traveling with my husband, hiking with friends, and pursuing my love of the arts (drawing, sculpting, ceramics, you name it!).